NOTE: Four Pictures
Picture 1 of building near Safaga Port. While building along the route to where we were dropped off were mainly of smaller sizes relative to this building, most had the same coloring to the exteriors of the buildings.
Picture 2 is typical of the open land (desert) that we saw on our way to where we were dropped off. The opposite side of the road was more beach-like.
Picture 3 is the front of the Holiday Inn where the complimentary shuttle dropped us off.
Picture 4 is an open court area that was behind some of the nearby stores. It looked like it was used for an open air restaurant.
We might not have mentioned this before but just about every evening of a sea day we receive a nice letter in our room from the World Cruise Hostess. The letter shares information about upcoming events and sometimes highlights places that we have just visited or will be arriving to shortly. Last nights letter noted various events that are coming up over the next several days.
On April 22nd we will be attending a World Cruise Dinner. This is one of two special dinners hosted on the ship in an area by the indoor swimming pool. For that evening, a stage is normally erected to cover the pool area and is used for the entertainment for the evening. A special dinner is served and we are assigned to reserved seats. All of the details are a surprise except for the theme of the dinner, which is called Roman Holiday.
A few days later on April 26 we will be taken from the ship at approximately 5:00 PM to a World Cruise Shore side Event (again one of two) that is hosted for us in Rome. Our first event was hosted in Sydney. Lots of effort and planning go into these events. In fact, usually the venue for the World Cruise special shore side events is reserved a year or more in advance at which time the planning commences. The letter also noted that many more activities are planned before our World Cruise ends in Southampton, London.
We really appreciate the thought and care that goes into these letters by the World Cruise Hostess.
This morning we arrived to Safaga, Egypt. Safaga is located on the western area of the Red Sea and is the gateway to the Nile Valley. The Valley of the Kings is located about three hours by motor vehicle from this port of call.
We woke up early this morning after enjoying another good nights sleep. We set our clocks back last evening by one hour as we arrived in another new time zone. The seas were a little rougher this morning relative to the past several weeks but not in the least bothersome to us. A few passengers said they were awoken from the seas, but this did not affect our sleep at all.
Keith worked out in the Fitness Center early this morning and enjoyed a very nice workout on the Elliptical Machine. He spoke with Mary most of the time and the Fitness Center was not very busy. Keith stayed on the Elliptical Machine for a personal best of two hours. Yes, the miles are adding up and thank goodness these are wonderful Elliptical machines.
Anne Marie took care of our laundry and then when Keith finished his workout he assisted Anne Marie with the laundry. Afterwards, we enjoyed a very nice breakfast in our room while we waited for the ship to dock in Safaga. This morning our butler, Alexander, who we have thoroughly enjoyed, is leaving the ship to go on Holiday. We will miss his wonderful service and the nice talks we have had with him along the way. How he remembers so many things amazes us each and every day.
The ship was cleared for disembarkation a little before 8:00 AM this morning. During the Captains Morning announcement, Captain Glenn noted that the outside temperature was 75 degrees Fahrenheit and that the forecast was for sunny skies throughout the day. Captain Glenn’s thought of the day was “The person who say it cannot be done should not interrupt the person doing it.” Another great thought for the day and we always enjoy them. The Captain reminded all passengers to take their passports with them while in port today and tomorrow morning.
This is our second time in Safaga as we cruised to this port of call on last years World Cruise. The ship will spend an overnight in this port of call and will depart this port tomorrow at 1:00 PM for our journey to Alexandria, Egypt.
Many guests visiting this port of call for the very first time traveled to Luxor. Luxor consists of three areas. It includes the City Of Luxor, the town of Karnak and Thebes. Most passengers visiting Luxor either took the one day tour (approximately three hours each way), or the one night overland tour, while some booked private transportation via Crystal. These passengers traveled via convoy from the port to Luxor. The Egyptian Government is very safety conscious with respect to foreign visitors traveling within the country and added security measures are taken to prevent an incident that could jeopardize the safety of its visitors. The Egyptian Government recognizes that tourism is a major staple of its economy and therefore does not want an incident to occur whose publicity would impact tourists from visiting their country.
Between Safaga and the city located just thirty miles north of it, Hurghada, there are a large number of beach resorts. The beaches are well known for their cleanliness and some of them have black sand. People visit these areas for the various activities including snorkeling or scuba and of course to also visit historical sites in Luxor and in other areas with a few hours from the town.
Guests were informed about taking photographs in Egypt. If one wants to take photographs of Egyptians, particularly women or religious people, we wee advised that we should ask first or at least politely inform them that we would like to include them in our picture. Our recommendation would be to ask first. On tours, there are various rules and regulations that must be followed. There are some areas where it is forbidden to take pictures there are times that if someone is caught taking a picture in a prohibited area their camera can be confiscated. The key is to follow the rules and regulations.
As we walked off the ship, we had to show our passport to someone from the local authority who verified that our passport had been stamped and that the picture matched us.
We took the complimentary shuttle that Crystal provided from the port over to an area within Safaga. The city is located a little over six miles from the port. On our drive over to the town, the water and beach were on the right hand side and on the left hand side were a variety of buildings; many of which were in the process of being constructed. This is clearly a resort area. We were dropped off right outside the Holiday Inn and just a minute walk from the bus there were several stores on each side of the road. We walked into most of the shops. There were a handful of jewelry shops, several other shops selling beachwear items from cover-ups to other related items, other shops selling Egyptian crafted items from little boxes to other statues, a couple of stores selling glassware such as beautifully looking perfume bottles, one store selling a variety of spices, and a few sundry type of shops. We spoke to many of the shopkeepers who were quite friendly and were not pushy. One storekeeper told us everything was on sales and the store was closing tomorrow. We then expected him to ask us if we wanted to purchase the Brooklyn Bridge, or was that the Suez Canal. ☺
We took the shuttle back to the ship and we took a very nice walk on the Promenade Deck of the ship for a little over an hour. About fifteen minutes into our walk we ran into a fellow passenger on the full World Cruise and we enjoyed a very nice conversation with her.
In a couple of days we will arrive in Alexandria, Egypt, which we also visited last year. During our stay in Alexandria, we will take a tour called Roman Alexandria. This excursion will include visits to a number of historical Roman locations.
We enjoyed a wonderful lunch in the Main Dining Room.
This evening we dined at the Prego Italian Specialty Restaurant. We chatted with Bruno who is filling in as Maitre D’ while the other Specialty Restaurant Maitre D’ is on Holiday. Bruno was our head waiter for the first couple of segments of last years World Cruise. While the regular Specialty Restaurant Maitre D’ is on the ship, Bruno is the headwaiter in Prego. The Maitre D’ of the Specialty Restaurants, overseas both Prego and Silk Road and some of the other venues such as Tastes and the Lido Café. We really enjoy Bruno and his passion for food and outstanding service. He always give us great recommendations on various food items including seafood specials.
This evening we dined with another World Cruise couple who we first met on last years World Cruise. We had a wonderful dinner including a great conversation with wonderfully prepared food in a restaurant with a great deal of ambience.
Keith & Anne Marie
